Yahoo, AOL and others file coordinated anti-spam lawsuits

[JURIST] Several major Internet companies announced today that they have filed anti-spam lawsuits under the federal CAN-SPAM act of 2003, which prohibits deceptive or abusive web advertising techniques such as the use of false return addresses or misleading subject lines to trick users into opening messages. The complaint [PDF] filed by Yahoo targets unwanted pornographic email. America Online also brought two suits late yesterday in federal court in Virginia. The "spim" complaint [PDF] targets bulk messages, known as "spim," sent to Internet chat rooms and instant message accounts, while the prescription drugs complaint [PDF] takes aim at unwanted emails advertising controlled substances for sale over the Internet. EarthLink and Microsoft also filed related suits simultaneously. CNET has more.

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